


Paint My Picture Into Yours

by weasleytook



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: F/M, Humor, Multi, Romance, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-31
Updated: 2010-08-31
Packaged: 2017-10-11 09:19:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/110832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weasleytook/pseuds/weasleytook
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She was 21 years old when she left Leadworth. Running away from her life and her impending marriage. She was 25 years old the day she decided to stop running. (Written prior to The Pandorica Opens.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Paint My Picture Into Yours

  
She was 21 years old when she left Leadworth. Running away from her life and her impending marriage. She was 25 years old the day she decided to stop running.

In the days before she told the Doctor her plans, she realized she sometimes felt ten or twenty years older than that. She would say she's traveled to every corner of the universe, but the Doctor would remind her that the universe was so expansive, she could live 900 years and never see it all. He would know.

She had seen wars end and begin, civilizations destroyed then rebuilt and more things than one person's imagination could ever hold. Amy had loved, lost and loved again.

"I can't stay with you forever, you know."

Amy tapped her fingers on the console of the TARDIS, but the Doctor didn't look at her. He just continued fiddling with two different copper knobs. She had always been sure those knobs didn't actually do anything because they were the ones he always messed with when he didn't want to look her in the eye.

"Forever is eternity. An endless amount of time. Infinity. A timeless existence outside of time. You would have to be immortal to stay with me forever, and you –" his hands stopped turning the knob underneath them "- are not immortal."

"Doctor…"

He finally turned his head to look at her and she recognized the look in his eyes. Occasionally, she got a glimpse of how lonely it must be to be the last of your kind, traveling through space and time and never settling down. It was how he looked in that moment.

"I know. You aren't the first who had to go, and you won't be the last."

Amy stepped sideways and moved closer to him. She grinned as if it was the first day they met all over again. "You won't forget me, will you?"

His hands left the knobs and he turned to face her complete. "Never. Not even if I live for another ten thousand years. There's only one Amy Pond after all."

"Too right, you are."

"Where will you go?"

She looked down at her hands and sighed. There was nothing left for her at home anymore. Not that she had ever really thought of Leadworth as home anyway.

"Not Leadworth."

"Bit of a letdown after traveling the universe in a time machine?"

Amy laughed softly and nodded. "I imagine most things will be."

He gave her the slightest of smiles and then turned back to the console to punch a few buttons. "I will take you wherever you want to go. But I made you a promise years ago, and I intend to keep it."

"You're not going to try and convince me to stay, are you?"

The Doctor ran a hand through his hair and grinned at her, "Only if you think it will work."

She playfully punched him in the arm and winked, "Maybe. Maybe not. I always like to keep you guessing, don't I?"

*

A week later, her bag was packed and sitting by the door of the TARDIS. The Doctor had taken her to Rio de Janeiro to fulfill a promise he made to her and Rory years ago. They laughed, danced, ate and had one of those rare adventures that didn't involve aliens or Daleks. The last night they were there, they stood and watched the waves roll in on Copacabana beach and toasted to Rory.

The next day she closed her eyes and listened to the familiar sound of the TARDIS as it landed. Despite River's advice, he still enjoyed the noise the brakes made. His hand slipped into hers and she opened her eyes to see him smiling at her.

"Are you sure this is where you want to be? And when."

She squeezed his hand and nodded, "I am completely sure. And where will you go?"

"Oh, everywhere. Every when. I'm a time traveler, you know… whole universe at my feet. Never a dull moment. Etcetera etcetera."

Her fingers traveled up his arms feeling the tweed of his jacket underneath them. She put her hands on his face as she tried to lock the way he looked and felt into her memories.

"Have you finally gone all the way mad? What are you doing?"

Her fingers traced his cheekbones and then moved downward to land on his shoulders. "I don't want to forget you. You and your silly face."

His eyes narrowed as he looked into her eyes. "I'll come visit, I swear."

"I know how this Time Lord thing works, remember? You might look different next time I see you. Different face, different eyes, different voice," she paused and grinned widely at him, "definitely better hair."

He frowned at her as he moved one hand up to briefly touch his hair. "There's nothing wrong with my hair. It's a perfectly good head of hair. And there's plenty of it, which is more than you can say for –"

Amy tried to silence him with her lips but the last few words of his sentence came out muffled as he continued to speak, "- someone as old as me."

When his sentence finished, he kissed back. It was gentle but full of emotion and Amy felt that same flutter in her chest that she did years ago. Her hands trailed down his chest and she hooked the index finger of each hand around his suspenders. When the kiss ended, she sighed and put her forehead against his chest.

"Goodbye, my raggedy doctor…"

The Doctor kissed the top of her head and she could hear the smile in his voice. "Farewell, Amelia Pond."

She let go of his suspenders and encircled his torso with her arms. They held on to each other until Amy felt like she was about to cry and had to let go to keep from welling up.

Amy grabbed the one bag of stuff she was taking with her and opened the door of the TARDIS letting the sunlight stream in. She stepped out into the field they had landed in and took several steps out before looking back over her shoulder.

"You know… maybe bowties ARE cool."

She flashed him one last smile and then started to walk towards her destination hearing him call after her, "I knew you would come around eventually!"

Seconds later the sounds of the TARDIS filled the air behind her, and when she looked back again, it was gone. Part of her would miss him and all of their adventures, but she knew she was where she was supposed to be. The Doctor had warned her that she might not be able to change the past, but Amy was never one to give up that easily.

It was nearly a ten minute walk to his door and she was sure the TARDIS had landed at the right time because there were still dozens of sunflowers in the courtyard. Amy took a deep breath and knocked. Then waited. For a moment, she was afraid she would have to plant herself on his doorstep because he wasn't home, but the door finally opened to a very surprised looking Vincent.

"Amy, you… you just left two days ago."

"It's been a lot longer for me."

Vincent looked around and behind her before settling his gaze back on her face. "And the Doctor?"

Amy didn't wait to be invited in. It really wasn't her style. She just nudged him in the chest with an elbow and slid past him. "Off to save the universe once again, I'm sure. It's just me this time."

Vincent followed her into the parlor where Amy had already thrown her bag into a nearby chair. "So what exactly are you doing here?"

"I thought I'd take you up on that offer."

Vincent didn't speak, just looked at her curiously, so Amy continued, "No, not dozens of babies. A dozen is way too many. I just figured I was ready to find one place to stay in the whole wide universe and this is where I wanted to be."

He moved towards her, still obviously confused. "But why here? With all the choices you must have had…"

Amy took a step closer and lightly poked him in the chest with the tip of one finger. "Because you need me Vincent Van Gogh. And maybe… I need you too."

"Wonderful Amy… you don't look as sad as before."

Vincent looked just as sad as she remembered him, but she didn't say that out loud. The Doctor had warned her that the darkness inside him might never go away, but Amy had to find out for herself.

"And you… still haven't done a thing about that beard."

His fingers combed through his beard and he laughed softly. "I did not expect that I'd have to kiss anyone anytime soon."

Amy moved his hands away from his face and leaned in to kiss him. This was nothing like that gentle goodbye kiss she had just shared with the Doctor, not even close. This kiss was filled with longing and tinged with a little bit of hope.

She put her arms around his torso and pulled herself closer while Vincent's hands landed in her hair. His fingers tangled in her long red waves and they seemed to breathe in unison. She finally broke off the kiss and laid her head on his chest with a soft laugh. It was almost too strange to believe that she was kissing the one and only Vincent Van Gogh. If she hadn't seen even stranger things over the past four years, she would never have believed this.

"I still can't believe you're here."

She listened to his heart beating his chest for a second and then laughed again. "Don't you worry. You'll be sick of me inside of a week."

Amy let go of him and looked around the room for a moment while Vincent answered, "It may be the other way around. I don't have the best luck with these sort of things."

"Well, my fiancée was killed by a giant reptile before getting swallowed by a crack in the universe. Then I spent four years travelling with an alien who is 900 years older than me. Maybe our combined bad luck will turn into good luck, huh? I'm willing to give it a go if you are."

She held her breath while she waited for him to reply. It wasn't as if she was stuck here, as the Doctor had given her a way to contact him in case she needed to, but that wasn't what she wanted.

Vincent's face broke into a smile so big that his eyes crinkled up at the corners as he said, "I'm willing. But you should know I am not easy to live with."

The painting of the church was lying on the table next to her and she ran her fingers over the bottom of it for a second before looking back at him.

"Oh, I know. And there are a few things we'll have to work on. Like the snoring, the snoring has to go."

"And the beard?"

Amy tapped her index finger against her lips as she looked at him, her face scrunched up in contemplation. "The beard can stay… for now. Just maybe trim it up some."

She walked back towards him and slipped her hand into his. His hands were calloused and stained with paint but fit perfectly around her own. "But for now, you're going to show me this town the way that you see it. You know, the parts I missed when we were getting chased by a giant invisible space monster."

Vincent nodded then led her by the hand into the courtyard. As the smell of sunflowers drifted on the breeze towards her, she knew she was exactly where she was supposed to be.

*

The years passed and Amy began to understand why someone like the Doctor could never stay in one place. Time moved so much slower when you had your feet on the ground all the time. Amy had no regrets though, she savored each and every moment of it, both good and bad.

Life with Vincent wasn't always perfect. He felt pain deeper than anyone she had ever known. But when he reached out in those dark times, Amy was always there. It was those moments that she realized he was more like the Doctor than she had ever thought.

There was so much darkness, but there was also more light and beauty in their lives than she could have wished for. Amy Pond had always thought she was a thoroughly modern girl, but had somehow found happiness living in 19th century France without a single modern convenience. If only her Leadworth friends could see her, they wouldn't have believed it.

She thought of the Doctor often but her life was filled with things like art and literature. And when the weather was good, they would travel the countryside so Vincent could find new landscapes to paint. To Vincent, the sky always looked different in a new place and he would find new inspiration where ever they went.

It was a Saturday afternoon in Spring when she heard a noise she had not heard in nearly six years. A sound that would have made most people's teeth hurt, but to her it was a reminder of part of her life that seemed to be growing further away by the day.

She ran up the hill as fast as she could and when she saw that blue box, her heart pounded in her chest like she was little Amelia Pond in Leadworth all over again. By the time she reached the TARDIS, the Doctor was outside leaning against the door and smiling. He hadn't changed at all.

Amy crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a steely gaze. "You said you would visit."

"I am visiting. Right now. Why? How long has it been?"

"Almost six years."

He ran his hands through his hair and scrunched up his nose. "I'm really bad at that, aren't I?"

Amy laughed and nodded her head. "The absolute worst."

They took a few steps towards each other and she threw her arms around him. Nothing had changed about him, he even smelled the same. But so much had changed about her.

She let go and kept smiling as they walked down the hill towards her house. "Travelling alone again?"

"For the time being. And you, look at you. A girl who once travelled the stars and saved entire planets is here leading the simple country life."

Amy laughed, a happy tinkling laugh that came from her throat. "Things are hardly simple with Vincent. And you just happened to catch us while we're at home. We have the greatest travels. I mean, no giant space-fish has tried to breed with me or anything, but we do have wonderful adventures…"

"Amy, that was ONE time."

She rolled her eyes and continued, "I run the bookshop in town. I've learned how to speak French and well…"

She paused and the Doctor looked at her curiously. "What?"

Amy pointed ahead of them so he could see what she meant. A tiny girl with flaming red hair was running towards them and Amy scooped her up in her arms. She had Amy's sweet round face and Vincent's eyes and she looked at the Doctor like he was a new toy.

"Hello, tiny human…"

"You're the Doctor!"

He looked back at her with mock suspicion in his eyes. "And how would you know? You're not a Dalek in disguise are you?"

The little girl giggled and shook her head. "No, Uncle Doctor, Daddy has painted pictures of you."

The Doctor looked back at Amy and nodded approvingly. "Uncle Doctor, is it?"

"Well, we didn't know what else to call you. In case you ever did show up for a visit. And now you're here, so Doctor, this is Chloe."

The Doctor took Chloe's hand and kissed it like a proper gentleman. "Well, then, nice to meet you Chloe."

Chloe smiled and then buried her face in Amy's shoulder with a shy laugh.

Amy let him walk ahead of her for a few steps and she took in the sight of him walking in that very distinct way of his. His hands were in front of him gesturing dramatically as he spoke, "So Amy Pond time-traveller is now Amy Pond, wife, mother, bookshop owner…"

Amy sat her daughter down and leaned over to instruct her, "Chloe, go run ahead and tell Daddy we have company."

"Yes, mummy."

The little girl ran down the path, waves of red hair bouncing behind her as they watched. Amy looked back to the doctor with a sly grin. "Two out of three, Doctor."

"Not married, then? That's very scandalous." He emphasized the word 'very' but all with a twinkle in his eye.

"The people in town actually treat Vincent better now that I'm here. Even with us being so improper."

"Well, that's another one to add to my list. Amy Pond, upstanding citizen."

Amy grinned and grabbed his hand to lead him into the courtyard. "Shocking, isn't it?"

She opened the door and let go of his hand just as Vincent was entering from the other room with Chloe next to him. "She told me that Uncle Doctor was here, but I didn't believe it…"

The Doctor smiled at him and enveloped him a hug. "Hello old friend…"

When they let go, both were smiling brightly and the Doctor clapped him on the shoulder. "How are you?"

Vincent looked towards Amy and then back to the Doctor. "I have never been better, my friend. Your loss was my gain."

"Hmm. You know sometimes I think the TARDIS misses Amy."

Amy laughed and shook her head. "That's not possible, Doctor."

The Doctor frowned at her and took a seat in the nearest chair. "Oh Amy, you should know by now that anything is possible. Sometimes at night, the TARDIS will just start playing your favorite songs. Strangest thing that."

What she really knew was that this was the Doctor's way of saying he missed her too.

Vincent clapped his hands together and looked to the Doctor with a grin. "How about we go into town, catch up on everything and this time I will buy the wine."

"Do they actually let you in the bar these days?"

Amy gave him a playful punch in the shoulder. "I told you things have changed."

Chloe's pudgy little hand was gripping the leg of Vincent's trousers watching all of this with interest as Amy walked over and pried her away from him. "Would you like to go visit Madame Dubois for a few hours?"

The little girl nodded and Amy looked back at Vincent and the Doctor. Once upon a time, she had called Rory and the Doctor her boys. Rory was no longer with them, but she still had her boys, just in a different combination.

*

They sat outside the café long past closing, drinking and laughing. The Doctor told them about his adventures since he had last seen them and all about his last travelling companion. Vincent talked about his paintings while Amy assured him that running a bookshop wasn't as boring as it might have sounded. They talked about all the places they had been and those they still had yet to see.

The three of them stumbled their way back home just as dawn was breaking and it was Vincent who made them stop on the road to watch the sun peek over the horizon. He stood between Amy and the Doctor and put an arm around the shoulders of each of them.

"It doesn't seem like so along the three of us laid down together and looked at the stars. And now here we are. Do you really have to leave so soon, Doctor? We've barely had any time together."

The sky was turning from purple to gold and orange as the Doctor nodded. "I wish I could stay, but a time traveller's work is never done. I have pressing business in…"

Amy looked past Vincent and towards the Doctor as she interrupted, "Let me guess, some far off planet needs you. Or maybe ancient Mesopotamia is about to be attacked by an alien race."

"No actually, I'm off to a very exotic placed called… Canada."

The three of them laughed together and continued walking back to the house, all of them still buzzing from the multiple bottles of wine they had consumed.

They fell asleep as morning was just beginning and woke up in the afternoon. Amy walked into the main room to see that the Doctor was already saying goodbye to Vincent with another hug.

"Now good Doctor, promise me you will not wait so long to come visit again."

"I have a time machine, Vinny, I can come any time I want to…"

Amy piped up with a grin on her face, "You say that, but you tend to just leave people waiting for you to show up for years at a time."

The Doctor nodded and managed the slightest of smiles as he replied, "Still holding a grudge, are we?"

"Maybe just a little. Now come on, let me walk you out."

Amy paused to give Vincent a brief kiss before following the Doctor out the door and into the courtyard. They walked in silence away from the house and towards the road until he finally stopped and turned to face her.

"Amy…"

"I know. All of the questions you asked about our lives, everything we told you… you already knew. It's history. You know how many more paintings are in the Musee D'orsay now. You know what my future holds before I ever get there."

The Doctor nodded and Amy just smiled back at him. She knew him a little too well sometimes. They began walking the path again and the Doctor just stared at her in amusement. "You know, if you wanted to know, I could tell all of it to you…"

Amy suddenly remembered River Song and her famous spoiler alerts and laughed. "No thank you, Doctor. I think I'll just wait to get there the way everyone else does it."

They reached the top of the hill and stopped outside the TARDIS. The Doctor took Amy's hand in his and stood facing her. "I will tell you one thing I know for sure. You saved that man's life."

"I learned from the best."

"What do you mean?"

"You. You saved me."

The Doctor looked at her curiously and Amy continued, "It's true. You did. And you know, you and Vincent, you're not that different. Brilliant. A little mad sometimes."

The Doctor gave her a look of mock insult and Amy held back a laugh as she spoke, "You've both known so much pain, but you still recognize the beauty in life. He may not be the last of his kind, but he is one of a kind."

He lifted his chin proudly and grinned at her as he replied, "Well then, you have excellent taste, Amy Pond."

"Of course I do," she said as if it were the most obvious thing in the universe, "Now swear to me that you won't break your promise to Vincent. Don't let another six years go by."

"I don't break promises."

"I know."

She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before stepping back and letting her hand fall out of his. "Safe travels, Doctor."

He looked back at her just as he was about to step in to the TARDIS and gave her a wink. Amy stood and watched moments later when the blue box she had once called home disappeared before her eyes.

She started the walk back home, back to her life and everything it contained. While she missed the Doctor nearly every day, there wasn't a moment that she regretted her choice to leave him. At home, there was Vincent and Chloe, and adventures yet to begin and she wouldn't have changed a thing.

\--

And now, I continue to plug [](http://community.livejournal.com/teamgingers/profile)[**teamgingers**](http://community.livejournal.com/teamgingers/) (A Vincent/Amy community) because gingers need love too.

_   
**FIC: Paint My Picture Into Yours (Doctor Who)**   
_


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